The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator door opening structure, and more particularly, to a refrigerator door opening structure including an opening assist disposed in a door handle for spacing a door apart from a main body when opening the door.
In general, as an apparatus for storing foods at low temperatures, a refrigerator preserves food in a frozen or refrigerated state according to the type and condition of the food.
Cold air supplied to the refrigerator is generated through heat exchange with refrigerant. That is, while a compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation cycle of refrigerant is being repeated, the refrigerant takes heat from air circulating in the refrigerator for decreasing the inside temperature of the refrigerator. By controlling this operation, the inside temperature of the refrigerator can be kept at an optimal low level for keeping food fresh.
Due to changes in eating habits and broadening palates of consumers, refrigerators are being enlarged and given more functions. Accordingly, the positions of a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment and the structures of doors for opening and closing the compartments have been diversified.
In general, refrigerators can be categorized into top mount type refrigerators, bottom freezer type refrigerators, and side-by-side type refrigerators. The top mount type refrigerator is the most proliferously used type with the freezer compartment above the refrigerator compartment. In the bottom freezer type refrigerator, the freezer compartment is disposed below the refrigerator compartment. In the side-by-side type refrigerator, the freezer and refrigerator compartments are positioned to the left and right of one another. Moreover, specialty refrigerators have been introduced that are configured specifically for the type of items they are intended to store, such as kimchi refrigerators for preserving kimchi and wine refrigerators for preserving wine.
These various types of refrigerators have a door for opening and closing a storage room of a main body. For example, a rotation type door can be opened and closed by rotating it left and right or upward and downward, and a drawer type door can be opened and closed by sliding it forward and backward.
Such a door includes a door handle so that a user can easily handle the door using the door handle for opening and closing the storage room.
A gasket is disposed between the door and the main body for preventing leakage of cold air. Owing to the gasket, when the door is closed, the storage room can be sealed more reliably. If necessary, a magnetic gasket can be used, which can make tight contact with the main body using a magnetic force for improving sealing effect.
A Large refrigerator has a heavy door, and pressure within the refrigerator drops when the inner temperature of the refrigerator drops so that the door makes contact with a main body of the refrigerator more firmly. Therefore, the act of opening the door may be difficult for some users (e.g., the old, women, children), thereby lowering convenience of use.